Lee Johnson, left, the Bristol City manager, hugs his Manchester City counterpart Pep Guardiola after his side’s 2-1 defeat in the Carabao Cup semi-final first leg.
Photograph: Martin Rickett/PA

Lee Johnson promised a febrile atmosphere at Ashton Gate when Bristol City play Manchester City in the Carabao Cup semi-final second leg, following Tuesday night’s 2-1 defeat.

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The Championship side took the lead with a 44th-minute Bobby Reid penalty, before Kevin De Bruyne equalised 10 minutes into the second half. Despite Sergio Agüero’s added‑time winner, Bristol City remain alive in the tie and their manager is intent they will again be a difficult proposition in a fortnight’s time. “I think it will be interesting,” Johnson said. “City have big games coming up and the atmosphere at Ashton Gate will be phenomenal. You heard how loud they [the travelling fans] were tonight. They enjoyed themselves and the players did them proud.”

Johnson pointed to Bristol City’s away goal, which will come into play should they defeat Manchester City 1-0 at the end of extra time in the return. “It’s half-time and we’ve got the away goal, we are still in the tie,” he said. “The buzz continues, the buildup will be exciting. Pep Guardiola said to me we played better than most of the Premier League teams that come to Manchester City. We will take an awful lot from it and learn a lot. It is not over.”

Guardiola was content with his team’s display, saying of his players: “They give everything. The performance was good. Every time we try to make the best performance possible but the performance was good, really good. Manchester City fans around the world must be so proud. It will be tough in Bristol.”